Arab Women’s Forum (Aisha)

Arab women’s forum – Aisha is a feminist secular democratic platform which features activists and Arab feminist organizations which are independent from all forms of domination, and engaged in the struggle for democracy in various Arab countries. The Forum believes that its struggles are integral part of the struggles of women and different social movements that have democratic approaches against economic, social and political oppression and injustice. The Arab women forum – Aisha consists of 13 feminist organizations from six Arab countries.

The Role of Arab Women Forum- Aisha:

The role of Arab women forum – Aisha is an intellectual , educational , tactical , and solidarity role that is intended to counter the totalitarian fundamentalist patriarchal speech against women’s rights, and reject equality and women’s right in full and effective citizenship on the basis of gender. The forum seeks to change some unjust discriminatory laws that allow the exploitation, oppression, and violation of women in the Arab countries and the world, and it supports women in their struggles around the world.

The foundations of the Arab women’s forum – Aisha:

Activating the role of the Forum starting from its members and organizations, in addition to expanding the new membership on clear basis

Opposing all forms of violence and discrimination against women and working to achieve gender equality

Deepening, developing, and spreading feminist, secular, liberal speech on the culture of gender equality to oppose the fundamental and discriminatory speeches in all its forms, and the prevailing patriarchal culture.

Confronting economic, social, political and cultural rights violations against women and engaging in the global social movement activism against neoliberalism.

Working on changing the perceptions that propagate the inferiority of women and the discriminatory laws, in relevance to the international conventions.

Lobbying to remove of reservations, and the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the CEDAW Convention.

Building alliances with the democratic, national and international forces to adopt women’s rights.

The Arab women’s forum-Aisha adopts the following principles and goals:

Women’s rights are a part of the total human rights

Feminism in forum’s perception is an ideology that defies injustice, oppression, violation, and all discrimination based on gender, race, belief, or any other type of discrimination. It opposes violence in all its forms. Feminism, in its total political concept, considers the public as private, and the private as public, therefor feminism should be interpreted in policies, practices, situations, and activism publicly and privately.

Feminism adopts all kinds of activism against patriarchal speeches,structures and ideologies, on national and international levels.

Violence towards women is an essential form of discrimination and violation of women’s rights and dignity, thus it is highly important to working in breaking the silence inside the family.

The adoption of global humanitarian principles that is stemming from the social activism experiences of nations in the world throughout history, as a key source of legislation, and the rejection of other experiences or legislative sources that dedicate discriminatory, oppressive laws or customs .

The guarantee the freedom of belief for each citizen, man or woman, as appointed by the “separation of religion from state”, which unifies a common space for humanity among all humans and demeans discrimination.

The adoption of the solidarity principle with women’s activism in the Arab countries, the third world, and the world as whole, against the forms of oppression, racism and discrimination.

The network has a humane reference that is powered by human activism for freedom, especially women’s activism around the world against all forms of discrimination and oppression. The network believes that the choice of this reference is always as good as it responds to the best interests of women.